15 positive observations from the weekend of football, seven not so positive observations and we acknowledge a “zero” from outside the world of football. A reminder, there’s never any Ravens game analysis here. We do plenty of that elsewhere. It’s a trip through the weekend of football via videos, GIFs, memes, pictures, links, Tweets and shtick.

If there ever is a Fall in the great state of Maryland, don’t worry about having to pay to heat your home. Just read the 15-7-0 and your heart will be warmed for seven whole days*!

(*This is a fact proven by science**.)
(**Even if you don’t think this is a proven fact there’s nothing you can do about it because there is no government so no one can say otherwise. HAHA, jerks.)

“Super Bowl odds have fallen into place with the season a few days away and Denver and San Francisco remain co-favorites at 6-1. The Broncos and 49ers have also taken more money than any other team with Green Bay right behind them at 12-1. The Bears and Cowboys have seen significant action the last couple weeks and have both dropped to 25-1 and at this point are two of the biggest losers for the book.”

Kevin Bradley, Sports Book Manager, Bovada.lv

Odds to win the 2014 Super Bowl XLVIII

Denver Broncos 6/1

San Francisco 49ers 6/1

Seattle Seahawks 17/2

New England Patriots 10/1

Atlanta Falcons 12/1

Green Bay Packers 12/1

Houston Texans 16/1

New Orleans Saints 18/1

Chicago Bears 25/1

Cincinnati Bengals 25/1

Dallas Cowboys 25/1

New York Giants 25/1

Baltimore Ravens 28/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 28/1

Washington Redskins 33/1

Detroit Lions 40/1

Indianapolis Colts 40/1

Miami Dolphins 40/1

Minnesota Vikings 40/1

St. Louis Rams 40/1

Kansas City Chiefs 50/1

Philadelphia Eagles 50/1

San Diego Chargers 50/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 50/1

Carolina Panthers 66/1

Arizona Cardinals 125/1

New York Jets 125/1

Buffalo Bills 150/1

Cleveland Browns 150/1

Tennessee Titans 150/1

Oakland Raiders 250/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 300/1

.

Odds to win the 2014 AFC Conference

Denver Broncos 2/1

New England Patriots 9/2

Houston Texans 13/2

Cincinnati Bengals 9/1

Baltimore Ravens 12/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 12/1

Indianapolis Colts 15/1

Miami Dolphins 18/1

San Diego Chargers 20/1

Kansas City Chiefs 25/1

Cleveland Browns 50/1

New York Jets 50/1

Buffalo Bills 66/1

Tennessee Titans 66/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 125/1

Oakland Raiders 125/1

Odds to win the 2014 NFC Conference

San Francisco 49ers 4/1

Seattle Seahawks 5/1

Green Bay Packers 11/2

Atlanta Falcons 7/1

New Orleans Saints 10/1

New York Giants 12/1

Chicago Bears 14/1

Dallas Cowboys 14/1

Washington Redskins 18/1

Detroit Lions 22/1

St. Louis Rams 22/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25/1

Carolina Panthers 28/1

Philadelphia Eagles 28/1

Arizona Cardinals 66/1

Odds to win the 2014 AFC East Division

New England Patriots 1/3

Miami Dolphins 13/4

Buffalo Bills 9/1

New York Jets 14/1

Odds to win the 2014 AFC North Division

Cincinnati Bengals 9/5

Pittsburgh Steelers 11/5

Baltimore Ravens 9/4

Cleveland Browns 5/1

Odds to win the 2014 AFC South Division

Houston Texans 2/5

Indianapolis Colts 12/5

Tennessee Titans 8/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 28/1

Odds to win the 2014 AFC West Division

Denver Broncos 1/3

San Diego Chargers 6/1

Kansas City Chiefs 4/1

Oakland Raiders 20/1

Odds to win the 2014 NFC East Division

New York Giants 2/1

Dallas Cowboys 2/1

Washington Redskins 5/2

Philadelphia Eagles 4/1

Odds to win the 2014 NFC North Division

Green Bay Packers 5/7

Chicago Bears 3/1

Detroit Lions 9/2

Minnesota Vikings 6/1

Odds to win the 2014 NFC South Division

Atlanta Falcons 7/5

New Orleans Saints 7/4

Carolina Panthers 4/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5/1

Odds to win the 2014 NFC West Division

San Francisco 49ers 11/10

Seattle Seahawks 11/10

St. Louis Rams 5/1

Arizona Cardinals 20/1

Miscellaneous Odds and Ends

Who will be the first head coach fired during the 2013 Regular Season?

Rex Ryan 3/2

Dennis Allen 3/1

Mike Munchak 5/1

Ron Rivera 11/2

Jason Garrett 15/2

Jim Schwartz 12/1

Will any Quarterback record 5000 or more Passing yards in the 2013 Regular Season?

Yes -200 (1/2)

No +150 (3/2)

Will any Player record 2000 or more Receiving yards in the 2013 Regular Season?

Yes +400 (4/1)

No -700 (1/7)

Will any Player record 2000 or more Rushing yards in the 2013 Regular Season?

Yes +300 (3/1)

No -500 (1/5)

Will any Quarterback record 1000 or more Rushing yards in the 2013 Regular Season?

While losing starters virtually everywhere else on their defense, the Ravens continued to get stronger along the defensive line by agreeing to a two-year deal with defensive end Marcus Spears on Friday.

Multiple outlets are reporting the deal is worth a total of $3.5 million. The 30-year-old lineman was released by the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday after signing a five-year, $19.2 million contract in 2011.

As soon as Spears hit the market, the Ravens showed immediate interest as general manager Ozzie Newsome declared a need to improve the defensive line at the end of the season. Spears is the second defensive end to be signed by the Ravens this week after former New York Giant Chris Canty was signed to a three-year deal on Tuesday.

“Spears, like Canty, can play multiple positions along the line,” Newsome said in a team statement. “He brings a lot of snaps and big game experience to us. We like the way Marcus plays. He will fit in with the Ravens way of playing.”

Spears never lived up to his billing as a first-round pick of the 2005 draft but played eight seasons in Dallas, accumulating 226 tackles and 10 sacks. Last season, the former LSU standout collected 25 tackles and one sack in 15 games, one of which he started.

Defensive coordinator Dean Pees now appears to have a surplus of defensive ends, which makes you wonder if defensive tackle Haloti Ngata might be moving to nose tackle, a position where he has plenty of experience. Canty and Spears appear to be more traditional defensive ends in a 3-4 base scheme — though the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Spears has occasionally played some nose tackle in the past — and would rotate with Arthur Jones, who received a second-round tender as a restricted free agent earlier this week. In that scenario, Pernell McPhee would continue to be used in mostly passing situations like he was in the postseason.

“The base of a good defense is to be good along the defensive line,” Newsome said. “We didn’t play to our standards last season, partly because of injury. With the expected better health of players like Haloti Ngata and Pernell McPhee and the additions of Marcus Spears and Chris Canty, we have a chance to improve.”

Given the Ravens’ lack of depth at the linebacker position and sudden surplus of defensive linemen, others have speculated that Baltimore should consider moving to a 4-3 defense, but the organization has given no indication such a change is coming.

BALTIMORE — Only a few hours after suffering their worst home defeat in over five years, the Ravens officially received their ticket to their fifth straight trip to the playoffs after the Pittsburgh Steelers fell in Dallas.

The Ravens failed to clinch the AFC North title after suffering a humbling 34-17 defeat to the Denver Broncos, but the Cowboys’ overtime win over Pittsburgh officially sent Baltimore to a league-best fifth consecutive postseason appearance. Still one game ahead of the Bengals in the division race, the Ravens can take care of business themselves against the New York Giants in Baltimore with a win next Sunday to secure the AFC North crown.

Clinching the AFC North next week will not be possible if the Ravens lose to the Giants, regardless of what happens in the Week 16 Steelers-Bengals game. A Cincinnati win would set up a Week 17 showdown with the Ravens in which the winner takes the division. A Steelers win over the Bengals would set up a potential scenario in which the three AFC North teams could all finish the season with 9-7 records if Cincinnati would beat Baltimore and Pittsburgh would beat Cleveland in Week 17. This would result in Pittsburgh winning the three-way head-to-head tiebreaker to take the division.

Of course, the Ravens would cure all headaches by beating the Giants and putting all these tiebreaker scenarios to rest.

Regardless of how the next two weeks play out, Baltimore is the only team in the league to win a playoff game in each of the last four seasons, and the Ravens will have a chance to do it once again this January.

Following every Baltimore Ravens game this season, Ryan Chell and I will take to the airwaves Tuesdays on “The Reality Check” on AM1570 WNST.net with a segment known as “The Five Plays That Determined The Game.”

It’s a simple concept. We’ll select five plays from each game that determined the outcome. These five plays will best represent why the Ravens won or lost each game.

This will be our final analysis of the previous game before switching gears towards the next game on the schedule.

Here are the five plays that determined the Ravens’ 31-29 win over the Dallas Cowboys Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium…

After every Baltimore Ravens victory, Ryan Chell and I take to the airwaves on “The Nasty Purple Postgame Show” on AM1570 WNST.net to offer “Pats on the Ass” to players who have done something to deserve the honor.

We give pats to two defensive players, two offensive players and one “Wild Card”-either another offensive or defensive player, a Special Teams player or a coach. We offer a “Pat on Both Cheeks” to someone who stands out, our version of a “Player of the Game.” Ryan and I select five different players/coaches each.

Here are our “Pats on the Ass” following the Ravens’ 31-29 win over Dallas Cowboys at M&T Bank Stadium…

(Note: Not all photos are from today’s game, some photos provided by Fort Worth Star-Telegram…)

BALTIMORE — Welcoming the Dallas Cowboys to Baltimore for the first time since the 2004 season, the Ravens look to continue their NFL-best 13-game winning streak at home on Sunday afternoon.

After three prime-time home games to begin the season, the Ravens were finally able to settle into their regular routine this week for Sunday afternoon games and will face a Dallas team coming off its bye. Baltimore is 3-0 all-time against the Cowboys, including a 2-0 mark at M&T Bank Stadium.

Veteran Bobbie Williams will start at left guard for the first time this season, replacing third-year lineman Ramon Harewood. The former Cincinnati Bengal was signed in early June with the expectation of starting along the Ravens offensive line, but the 36-year-old dealt with swelling in his right ankle that he fractured in December last season and the surprising Harewood beat him out at the end of the preseason.

Harewood was listed as one of the seven inactives prior to Sunday’s kickoff. With him and Jah Reid both listed as inactives, the Ravens will have only seven offensive linemen available against the Cowboys.

With tackles Michael Oher and Kelechi Osemele struggling with edge rushers, you have to wonder if veteran Bryant McKinnie will be the next veteran to regain his spot along the starting line should the pair struggle against Cowboys outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware on Sunday. Through the first five weeks of the regular season, Williams and McKinnie had been relegated to spot duty and special teams.

In another sign of potential concern for their play at tackle, the Ravens have activated third tight end Billy Bajema, who could assist in run blocking and pass protection.

The Ravens surprisingly deactivated kick returner Deonte Thompson, who fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half last week. This likely means No. 3 wide receiver Jacoby Jones will return kicks against Dallas.

Meanwhile, the Dallas offensive line has struggled immensely this season as it’s been unable to open running lanes for Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray (3.9 yards per carry) and consistently protect quarterback Tony Romo, who’s tied for third in the league with eight interceptions in only four games.

The Ravens are wearing purple jerseys with black pants while Dallas wears its white tops with silver pants.

The Baltimore defense will be introduced prior to Sunday’s game, but center Matt Birk will also be announced as he will play in his 200th NFL game.

The Baltimore Ravens will promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month through a variety of initiatives, beginning this Sunday (10/14) at the Ravens vs. Cowboys game. Those initiatives will include:

· Ravens staff, family members and volunteers will distribute over 50,000 pink ribbons to fans as they enter stadium gates on Sunday morning. In collaboration with the American Cancer Society, the initiative, called A Crucial Catch: Annual Screening Saves Lives, reminds women 40 and older about the importance of having an annual mammogram. In its efforts to create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays, American Cancer Society volunteers will also distribute boxes of birthday candles to fans as they leave Sunday’s game.

· Prior to the game’s kickoff, 25 women, a combination of breast cancer survivors and those currently undergoing treatment, will be honored in an on-field ceremonial tribute.

· The Ravens will also incorporate many pink elements into Sunday’s game. Ravens players and coaches will wear pink-themed items throughout the game, including cleats, gloves, wristbands, jerseys, Gatorade towels and more. Ravens cheerleaders will sport pink pom-poms, and members of Baltimore’s Marching Ravens will wear pink plumes. In addition, the Ravens Gameday magazine will feature a pink hue.

· Game-worn pink merchandise will be auctioned at www.nfl.com/auction, with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society. In 2011, the NFL and its players donated more than $1 million to breast cancer awareness, prevention and research efforts as a result of theACrucial Catch campaign, with the majority of the donation coming from the sale of pink NFL Auction items. This year, $50,000 from last year’s funding will specifically be given to help hundreds of underserved women in Harford County, Md., receive mammograms, breast screenings and breast health education. The American Cancer Society has identified Harford County as the second-highest county surrounding NFL markets where breast cancer screening disparities are greatest.

· The Ravens have further collaborated with the American Cancer Society through support of the nonprofit’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event on Sunday, Oct. 14. Fans can visit www.stridesbaltimore.org to join Team Purple. All participants of Team Purplewill receive a commemorative t-shirt as a thank you gift.

· Breast Cancer Awareness Month activities will continue throughout October, as Ravens players and staff will visit survivors undergoing treatment in local hospitals. The players will distribute pink NFL items and offer support and encouragement to patients.